All living things must have constant sources of energy to continue performing even the most basic life functions. Whether that energy comes straight from the sun through photosynthesis or through eating plants or animals, the energy must be consumed and then changed into a usable form such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Many mechanisms can convert the original energy source into ATP. The most efficient way is through aerobic respiration, which requires oxygen. This method gives the most ATP per energy input. However, if oxygen isn't available, the organism must still convert the energy using other means. Such processes that happen without oxygen are called anaerobic. Fermentation is a common way for living things to make ATP without oxygen. Does this make fermentation the same thing as anaerobic respiration?
The short answer is no. Even though they have similar parts and neither uses oxygen, there are differences between fermentation and anaerobic respiration. In fact, anaerobic respiration is much more like aerobic respiration than it is like fermentation.
Most science classes discuss fermentation only as an alternative to aerobic respiration. Aerobic respiration begins with a process called glycolysis, in which a carbohydrate such as glucose is broken down and, after losing some electrons, forms a molecule called pyruvate. If there's a sufficient supply of oxygen, or sometimes other types of electron acceptors, the pyruvate moves to the next part of aerobic respiration. The process of glycolysis makes a net gain of 2 ATP.
Fermentation is essentially the same process. The carbohydrate is broken down, but instead of making pyruvate, the final product is a different molecule depending on the type of fermentation. Fermentation is most often triggered by a lack of sufficient amounts of oxygen to continue running the aerobic respiration chain. Humans undergo lactic acid fermentation. Instead of finishing with pyruvate, lactic acid is created.
Other organisms can undergo alcoholic fermentation, where the result is neither pyruvate nor lactic acid. In this case, the organism makes ethyl alcohol. Other types of fermentation are less common, but all yield different products depending on the organism undergoing fermentation. Since fermentation doesn't use the electron transport chain, it isn't considered a type of respiration.
Even though fermentation happens without oxygen, it isn't the same as anaerobic respiration. Anaerobic respiration begins the same way as aerobic respiration and fermentation. The first step is still glycolysis, and it still creates 2 ATP from one carbohydrate molecule. However, instead of ending with glycolysis, as fermentation does, anaerobic respiration creates pyruvate and then continues on the same path as aerobic respiration.
After making a molecule called acetyl coenzyme A, it continues to the citric acid cycle. More electron carriers are made and then everything ends up at the electron transport chain. The electron carriers deposit the electrons at the beginning of the chain and then, through a process called chemiosmosis, produce many ATP. For the electron transport chain to continue working, there must be a final electron acceptor. If that acceptor is oxygen, the process is considered aerobic respiration. However, some types of organisms, including many types of bacteria and other microorganisms, can use different final electron acceptors. These include nitrate ions, sulfate ions, or even carbon dioxide.
Scientists believe that fermentation and anaerobic respiration are older processes than aerobic respiration. Lack of oxygen in the early Earth's atmosphere made aerobic respiration impossible. Through evolution, eukaryotes acquired the ability to use the oxygen "waste" from photosynthesis to create aerobic respiration.
Give one example of each.…
Solution 2.
| Here the end products are carbon dioxide and water. | Here the end products are ethanol and carbon dioxide (as in yeast) or lactic acid (as in animal muscles). |
| It releases a large amount of energy. | It produces less amount of energy. |
During cellular respiration glucose is broken down in the presence of oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. Energy released during the reaction is captured by the energy-carrying molecule ATP. … Cellular respiration uses oxygen and has it’s waste product of carbon dioxide (CO2).
What role does cellular respiration play in the carbon cycle?
Cellular respiration is the process by which organic sugars are broken down to produce energy. It plays a vital rolein the carbon cycle because it releasescarbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This means that cellular respirationcan be thought of as the opposite ofcarbon fixation in the carbon cycle.
What is yeast fermentation?
For example yeast performs fermentation to obtain energy by converting sugar into alcohol. … Upon a biochemical point of view fermentation is carried out by yeasts (and some bacteria) when pyruvate generated from glucose metabolism is broken into ethanol and carbon dioxide (Figure 1).
What do glycolysis and fermentation have in common?
What do glycolysis fermentation and cellular respiration have in common? All pathways for gaining or using energy in cells.
How are lactic acid fermentation and alcoholic fermentation similar?
How are alcoholic fermentation and lactic acid fermentation similar? … Alcoholic and lactic acid fermentation are both types of fermentation. They both yield two NAD+ milecules that are recycled back to glycolysis. They also both take away a hydrogen molecule from NADH.
Why would a cell use fermentation instead of cellular respiration?
Why would a cell use fermentation instead of cellular respiration? Lactic acid fermentation still uses sugars to make ATP like in cellular respiration but oxygen is not needed for the reaction. Because this process does not use oxygen lactic acid fermentation is a type of anaerobic respiration.
What are two differences between aerobic respiration and fermentation?
Aerobic respiration uses oxygen to produce energy unlike fermentation. Therefore our muscles produce energy by lactic acid fermentation because they lack oxygen after heavy exercises. … Fermentation requires only one-step to produce the residues whereas aerobic respiration occurs in two steps.
What is a difference between fermentation in human muscles and fermentation in yeast quizlet?
What is a difference between fermentation in human muscles and fermentation in yeast? In human muscle cells lactic acid is produced while yeast produces ethyl alcohol.
Where do respiration and cellular respiration takes place?
mitochondria
While most aerobic respiration (with oxygen) takes place in the cell’s mitochondria and anaerobic respiration (without oxygen) takes place within the cell’s cytoplasm.Feb 12 2020
See also why can’t we humans perform photosynthesis
Why are cellular respiration and photosynthesis opposite processes?
How are cellular respiration and photosynthesis almost opposite processes? Photosynthesis releases energy and cellular respiration stores energy. … Photosynthesis removes oxygen from the atmosphere and cellular respiration puts it back.
What is the primary difference between fermentation and anaerobic respiration quizlet?
Fermentation uses glycolysis only. Anaerobic respiration uses all three parts of cellular respiration including the parts in the mitochondria like the citric acid cycle and electron transport it also uses a different final electron acceptor instead of oxygen gas. You just studied 4 terms!